Replacing front struts

[Argeo]

Hi,

I am looking into replacing my front struts on a 77 911 3.0 Carrera. First, the shocks in the front are black which I guess means Koni. Do I need to replace them with Koni or is one of the other types ok, preferrably Boge because they are more affordable? Second, Is it normal to buy the whole strut or just the insert? Third, will the directions on Pelican for a 74 be the same as a 77? Last, does the car have to be aligned afterwards?

I should probably mention I don't race or anything so I don't believe I need to buy any real high performance strut.

Thanks,

David

[Bill Verburg]

Are you replacing struts or just inserts?

I needed to replace the whole strut, after years of abuse they do go bad. I used the Bilstein 930 struts which come w/ hd inserts oem.

[Argeo]

Hi Bill, I am not sure if I just get inserts or the whole strut. I am assuming the whole strut would be easier to do than the insert. Not sure though, never done it.

Just wondering my most cost and time efficient way to do this. Boge are 1/2 the cost of the Bilsteins I am looking at. The Boge I am looking at are also considered stock where the Bilsteins are for occassional tracking. Don't think I need the extra performance considering my use.

Anyways, any thoughts? Can I use Boge?

Thanks again,

David

[masraum]

Boge struts/shocks are usually Black, Koni are often Red or I think may also be yellow. You may have Boge already. Either way your cheapest out will probably be to just replace the inserts.

[Bill Verburg]

Can I use Boge?

Koni are generally orange
Bilstein are generally green or yellow
Boge are generally black or gray

If you have Black Boge then the inserts be replaced w/ Boge or Bilstein for Boge struts.

I like Bilstein.

[Argeo]

Thanks guys, I guess Boge will work for me.

Will inserts be a lot more work then just buying the whole strut? Unfortunately, time is a big issue also.

Thanks again,

David

[masraum]

Inserts are easier than replacing the whole thing.

[Argeo]

I just saw on Pelican a pair of front struts (KYB) for $104. Does that sound like a typo or are they cheap for a reason.

Also, forgot to mention that my front is lower than the back. Does this lowering occur through an adjustment on the strut. I would like to keep the look if possible. Not sure how the whole lowering thing works. Excuse my ignornace.

Thanks,

David

[Rot 911]

KYB are low end struts and shocks. Nothing wrong with them, just not as high quality as say Bilsteins.

[John Brandt]

if you have it, spend the money on Bilsteins because they nearly never go bad.

KYB shocks are "made in Asia" junk that you'll be replacing again in a couple/few years

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by John Brandt
if you have it, spend the money on Bilsteins because they nearly never go bad.

Is it really true Bilsteins never go bad?

I am about to tear into the suspension of my 78SC, and the plan was to send the Bilsteins off for revalving. If they are fine as is, then it'll speed up my schedule a lot.

Does shock color indicate what level it is? Green = HD, Yellow = Sport??? I have green shocks in the rear and yellow up front.

David, replacing the front shock inserts is not difficult. It would take you half a day if you don't do a lot of other work (get crazy with cleaning and painting parts).

This is the reason for my suspension project. MY 78SC has almost 260k miles, and the spring plate bushings are totally failed. I have owned the car for just over 1 year, and I have always been disappointed by the harsh suspension. Guess this is probably why, eh?
jürgen

[jazzbass]

Originally posted by turbo6bar
It would take you half a day if you don't do a lot of other work (get crazy with cleaning and painting parts).

Now really - I'm sure no one here would take a routine maintenance project and turn it into a two week affair by cleaning, sandblasting, detailing, painting and powercoating everything they took off the car?

One thing on the struts - like was mentioned before, black is most likely Boge. To be 100%, look at the strut housing. It will be stamped "Boge" on the outside. You may need to clean some of the road grime/cosmoline off the strut first to see it. While your cleaning, you could do the wheel wells, the calipers, the a-arms...

[CHILI]

Yes, black is Boge. That's what I had. I replaced them with the Bilstein inserts (green). The only difficult part was getting the oil from the old Boge's out of the strut. Use the blue shop paper towels to soak it up. And I had to remove the brake lines because they were just a bit too short to get the strut under and out of the fender. It was sooo close, but no cigar. Had to pop them off.

[masraum]

If you're handy and have all of the stuff that you need you can probably do both front struts in 2-3 hours, maybe even less. I think it would be more accurate to say that Bilsteins last a very, very long time. I think that's why John B said they NEARLY never go bad.

They are great shocks, you can see the quality in them before you even put them on.

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by jazzbass
Now really - I'm sure no one here would take a routine maintenance project and turn it into a two week affair by cleaning, sandblasting, detailing, painting and powercoating everything they took off the car?

Haha, look at these parts I cleaned up over the weekend. The spring plates will have powder coat in black, and I'm going to polish the bolts/nuts and powder coat them in clear.

Just yanked apart the front end of my SC. It took me about 1 hour to get the strut hanging loose. Just unbolt the insert from the strut and reverse the process. The worst part was getting the tie rod separated. I don't have the proper tie rod tool, but I was barely able to get a 2 arm puller fastened, and she came apart fine. David, go for it. This work is not hard.

jürgen